Anyone ever heard of or tried "zetacaps?"

I found this website that claims to offer an herbal alternative to WLS. The pill is called "zetacap." A 3 month supply costs $177!!! The site states Zetacap "is a non-surgical alternative. Zetacap? works the same way as gastric bypass surgery but instead of blocking the stomach with a staple, it fills the stomach with a natural balloon that makes it virtually impossible to eat! You will feel full all the time. You just can't eat!" All of the testemonials on their website have lost between 10 25lbs or more in 2 weeks to up to 50 lbs 3-4 months. THere are no testimonies from people who are morbidly obese that I can tell. Here is their web address: http://www.rouxenysurvivor.com/ I would really like to know if anyone has tried this method and what was your impression of how well they did or did not work. Was your experience "good" or "bad?" And Why? Please let me know as soon as possible.

Well, I am rather surprised after reading their list of ingredients. There is a pill I took for a while and I wish I could remember the name of the ingredient, but it is a fiber that claimed to swell up the same way that this one does. It did nothing at all to help me eat less. In fact, for all I can tell, I might have stretched my stomach even more because I was still eating for that satisfied feeling, and I just don't ever feel 'satisfied'. I get to feeling really full, but still want to eat. One of the ingredients, plantago, is the same as psyllium - you can get that WAY cheaper in metamucil. I recognized several of the herbs on the list - some are stimulating, some are thermogenic, some I didn't recognize at all. In any case, you'd be money ahead to take the ingredient list to a health food store and ask them whether they have anything with similar ingredients that is MUCH cheaper. One thing I can tell you is this: Don't have wls unless you are convinced that this is your last resort, and you will never EVER get to and stay at a healthy weight without drastic measures. That way, should (Heaven forbid) anything bad happen with wls, you will know that it was a tradeoff between the bad result from surgery or the bad result that you couldn't have avoided anyway. If you still think that you can get success from diet pills, then you should probably still be searching the diet and exercise route. If you are thinking of this because you are afraid of the surgery, it's time to do more research. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I need something that no program and no exercise pill can give me - permanant help with control. I won't be having Roux-en-Y because it is a temporary tool, designed to help lose the weight but then it's up to you to go back to depending on (what is to me) a deprivation diet. I have instead chosen duodenal switch for many reasons: 1) The post-surgical stomach is left fully functional. The pylorus is left intact, and digestion takes place in the smaller stomach and duodenum in exactly the same way that it takes place in any other stomach. This allows for better digestion and better nutrient absorption. Because there is no stoma and digestion is exactly the same as it was before, there are no marginal ulcers, no blind pouches (where bad stuff could happen but couldn't be seen without laparoscopy), and no stretched, clogged, or closed up stoma issues. There is also no dumping. 2) What is removed from the stomach during the gastric sleeve portion of the surgery is tissue that produces a hormone called ghrelin, which is a hunger hormone responsible in some part for hunger when you just shouldn't be hungry. Less grhelin helps reduce the appetite. 3) The smaller stomach is still bigger than the RNY pouch, and this, in combination with the ability to digest almost anything without troubles, allows for a much wider variety of foods and a little more in volume, reducing malnutrition problems. This same thing is what allows some DSers to get their 100g+ of protein without supplement shakes, which is a plus if you can't bear the taste. 5) The switch and bypass portion of the BPD/DS is designed to cause malabsorption of up to 80% of fat calories, which helps mantain weight over the long term. You are not restricted to a low-fat diet; in fact, you are in no way encouraged on a a low fat diet, because whatever fats you take in are your only dietary ( non-supplemented ways) to get the fat soluble vitamins. 6) Other than making sure you get 100g+ of protein and your 64z of water per day, the only biggest nutritional concerns for DS are calcium and vitamins A and D. While most surgeons prescribe ADEK's some are beginning to just prescribe A and D because few patients are showing up with deficiencies in E or K. 7) Read the Main Forum here, and you'll see LOTS of complaints about weight regain from RNYers, or people who talk about it being a struggle to keep it off. Read the DS forum, and you won't find anyone talking about special diets or fighting to keep the weight from coming back. DS has a better long-term success rate than any other bypass procedure. Hope you found something helpful in here. Denise in Ark

I finally remembered the name of the swelling up pill I took - it is glucomannan. It is the same fiber as shiratake noodles are made from and is almost 100% indigestible fiber (which is why shiratake makes a great substitute for pasta) . Like I said, though, it didn't make me feel full sooner and eat less. Plus it gave me killer heartburn. I probably didn't drink enough water with it. Denise in Ark